Continue reading

Friday is Bike to Work Day and organizers are hoping you'll commute on two wheels instead of four to cut down on traffic and pollution while getting some exercise.

The district has been one of the top biking cities in the nation for some time. On Friday, more bikes were spotted on the road than on a normal workday, ABC7’s Mark Seagraves reported.

Charlie Allen said he’s using the occasion to kick-starting a new way of commuting. "I'm trying to do it more often, there are too many cars on the road,” Allen said.

Another sign that cycling was the way to go were the many empty bike racks of the Capital Bikeshare kiosks. For Annie Murphy-Hagen, biking has many advantages.
"It accomplishes a number of things at once,” she said. “It's de-stressing, saves money and it's faster."

Craig Boehr agreed. "It's really convenient, it saves money and time, it's actually quicker than the Metro or the bus," the D.C. resident said.

A 20-mile community ride is also planned Sunday in Washington. Sunday's ride begins on the National Mall in front of the U.S. Capitol, heads up Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House and across the Potomac River into Virginia. That's where riders will pass sights such as Arlington Cemetery and the Pentagon before heading back into Washington.

Organizers of Washington's Bike to Work event say they hope to have more than 10,000 riders this year.

Baltimore-area organizers say events are planned not only in the city, but across central Maryland.

With reporting from the Associated Press and ABC7's Mark Seagraves.

Online: http://www.waba.org